Sora's mind raced as Kara hesitated for only a second before raising her hands. The flow of time around them changed as Kara expanded the reach of her [Time Bending] innate skill across the entire Sky Academy. The surrounding mana trembled as a dome enveloped the area.
Sora didn't relax as Kara bought him a little more time to think and act.
'Seoul… That's our best bet. But what about the others?'
There were others nearby—Salim's people. They had settled in the wilderness not too far from here, avoiding the bustling activity of the Korean capital. However, if enemies were attacking in force, they wouldn't spare anyone.
Without wasting another second, Sora opened his interface and sent a direct message to Salim Msakni.
[Sora to Salim: Emergency! Things are about to become dangerous. Get all your people inside your kingdom immediately. Use all your power and don't hold back! Hide everyone you can! Then reach Seoul as fast as you can! If it takes too long, we'll come, get you and move together!!]
He sent the message and took a deep breath. Salim was a smart leader. He wouldn't hesitate once he saw the warning. But whether or not he could reach Seoul was another matter entirely.
'If they're too slow, we'll have to help them. But if we wait for them, we might get into trouble.'
Sora turned back to Kara, who was busy moving everyone with her innate ability. "How long will it take to move everyone into the [Time-Space]?"
She took a deep breath. "Some of these damn soldiers are resisting my attempts to move them to my space, so I had to send a message to many of them to explain."
Pausing to calm herself down, Kara continued, "It'll take another dozen seconds in this space to convince them. However, some actually refused to be moved, saying they want the order from their direct superior..."
Sora's eyes turned cold as he considered the punishments to people who delayed their retreat. He felt they only had a small window, and each person resisting in such circumstances could endanger everyone.
He forced himself to act quickly and sent a thought transmission to the entire Sky Academy through his mental power.
"Don't resist Kara's attempt to move you to safety. We'll leave this place as soon as everyone has gathered. Everyone turning down our help will simply be left behind to judge of the severity of the situation by themselves."
He spoke to Kara next, "Please, try again!"
Sora turned back to his parents. "We're heading to Seoul. Now. Please enter Kara's [Time-Space]."
Marie and his father exchanged glances before nodding. They understood that this wasn't the time for questions. Sora sighed as his parents vanished from sight.
Kara turned to face him. "Everyone's inside [Time-Space]. Let's move!"
She quickly shrank her [Time-Bending] field, withdrawing its reach but keeping the time acceleration effect on their bodies. Their movements and thoughts remained thousands of times faster than the outside world, allowing them to react with superhuman speed.
Sora instinctively considered opening a portal to reach Seoul instantly, but his mind quickly shut down the idea. Teleporting blindly near the capital could be disastrous.
"We need to fly there," he muttered. "Some terrifying reinforcements joined the enemy kingdoms worldwide during the update. If I use my mental power recklessly, I might attract their attention."
He extended a hand toward Kara who was about to take off. "Hold on. We're using my [Void Tunnel]."
Without hesitation, Kara gripped his hand tightly. The moment she did, Sora opened a [Void Tunnel] and activated [Overlap] on [Explosive Dash].
They reached their destination instantly.
Sora made sure Kara and him were behind a [Veil] before they reappeared, masking their presence.
The moment they emerged from the [Void Tunnel], Sora frowned. His gaze locked onto the north gate of the transformed Seoul, where three figures floated in the air, unmoving. Their silhouettes were clearly visible as they stood a distance away from the fortified walls.
"There are three of them," he muttered.
Kara followed his line of sight, her eyes narrowing. She immediately read the information above their heads.
[Arlot – Level 180]
He was a massive werewolf covered in thick black fur. His muscular frame made him look more beast than man, and his claws were almost as long as his forearms.
[Crathe Neol – Level 180]
She was a lean werewolf with silver fur with dark smoke leaving her body. She carried twin curved blades at her hips and had a smile on her face.
[Zriko – Level 230]
Zriko was tallest of the three, covered in gray fur. He stood in the back of the group, and had a cold look in his eyes.
Kara's heart skipped a beat. "Holy—! That's impossible! How can he already be above level 200?! The update ended a minute ago!"
She turned to Sora, disbelief clear on her face.
Sora clenched his fists. "This damn update… The two level 180 players were among the famous powerhouses of the Werewolf Kingdom but I've never seen the third player. He must be new addition from the update."
A surge of frustration ran through him. The update had brought too many variables to the already chaotic world.
Noticing the thousands of players facing the three Werewolves, Sora's eyes darkened. "They're preventing everyone from getting inside."
Kara gritted her teeth, her hands trembling slightly as she paid attention to the three players expressions. "They're enjoying this."
Sora turned to her, his voice firm. "I'll take care of them."
Kara snapped her head toward him. "What?!"
"There are too many lives at stake," he continued, his gaze hardening. "We're the ones who brought people inside the Sky Academy. They're our soldiers and our students. That makes us responsible for their safety."
His gaze never wavered as he spoke. "You need to enter the city and return everyone safely. I'll keep them busy."
Kara had spent years by Sora's side, and though she loved to argue with him, they shared the same goals and hopes. In that moment, she understood exactly what he meant.
She nodded, preparing to slip into the city the second he created an opening. Sora, however, had no time to acknowledge her readiness. For the first time since the update, he focused on the changes of his body.
And what he felt made him hopeful again. His body contained a massive amount of power—far beyond anything he had ever possessed before. It was overwhelming, so much so that he had to take a brief moment to adjust, to process it.
He clenched his fists, sensing the difference.
'The first limit has been lifted… That's why I feel this strong.'
The Omega 38 limit to all his aspects of power that had once restricted him was now gone, allowing his strength to reach new levels. He could feel his talent amplifying his power explosively.
And then, there was something he hadn't expected: his Soul Power.
During the update, he had lingered near the Mother Orb, absorbing vast amounts of Soul Power in his astral form. That power had remained dormant, waiting for him to fuse back with his body.
Now, it flooded into him.
His Soul Level, which had once been capped at 100,000, began skyrocketing as the vast Soul Power stored in his astral form fully merged with his body upon reintegration.
200,000…
300,000…
500,000…
700,000…
...
1,000,000.
The moment his Soul Level crossed that threshold, something inside him clicked.
He felt it instantly. 'A qualitative change?'
Focusing on his power, he understood something, 'The shackles have loosened... The heavy feeling I have when I get closer to a limit imposed on me by a level.'
He breathed deeply, 'The ceilings... The ceilings feel lighter. As if... As if they're made of paper!'
Fueled by the evolution of his soul, he felt his power rising. Until it stopped.
1,500,000.
'Alius might be right... Soul Power might be the key to everything.'
Feeling his new level of power, he relaxed slightly, and rolled his shoulders.
He had spent enough time adapting to the changes to his body.
------------------------------------
Sora raised his hands, summoning a colossal mass of mana, condensing it at his fingertips. The sheer density of it distorted the air, warping space as he poured an unfathomable amount of Mental Power into it.
He had spent years mastering energy compression, refining his control while he trained alongside Alius and Kara. He had pushed his mana manipulation to the absolute peak, stacking countless skills and techniques on top of one another—all leading to this moment.
His hands trembled slightly as he shaped the White Dwarf, a small star of condensed, pure energy. The first stage of his technique.
And then, he activated his body-forging abilities. One after another, he triggered every enhancement he had spent a lifetime refining.
His body compressed, condensed, and solidified, becoming something that defied the laws of the world.
'[Celestial Circulation], [Titanic Body], [Life Core], [Diamond Heart], [Endless Vitality], [Unmovable], and dozens of perfected body-forging techniques were necessary to create this. And only with my [Eternal Body Craft] is any of this possible.'
The result was astonishing.
His body had become so sturdy, so heavy, that he couldn't even move.
But this was only the beginning.
With an effort that felt like moving a mountain, he forced his hand upward, slowly, painfully, pushing the White Dwarf toward his mouth.
Kara instinctively stepped back, her breath caught in her throat. The air trembled as the world around Sora seemed to distort, unable to contain the pressure radiating from his body.
And then—
He swallowed the White Dwarf.
His entire being erupted with light.
A firestorm of energy flooded his veins, his body igniting from within. Power unlike anything he had ever felt surged through him.
But he endured.
This was his final, perfected version of [Lava in My Veins].
His entire body evolved in an instant.
'This is my first fight with my [White Dwarf] form...'
A white aura radiated from him, its glow so bright it was blinding. His hair floated weightlessly, reacting to the pulses of his energy.
Sora clenched his fists.
'I won't let them hurt us,' he thought.
'I will stop them.'
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